CHAPTER 486: CHAPTER 356: HIS WELCOMING BANQUET, FULL OF AMBIGUITY

Hong Mingyue originally did not want Hong Yuying to come along, but she insisted on coming. Before leaving, Hong Mingyue repeatedly warned her that once in Beiqing, she must not overstep her bounds.

At the time, Hong Yuying had agreed to it nicely, but as soon as she saw Feng Xun, she immediately forgot herself.

Princess Qing Bi, upon hearing this, merely curled her lips and sneered inwardly at Hong Yuying for being shameless.

Not to mention that Brother Prince Feng rarely involves himself in political affairs, even if he did, he would be here to welcome me, his cousin. It was certainly not Hong Yuying’s place to be honored by him.

"Brother Prince Feng, are you here to welcome us?" asked Princess Qing Bi with a smiling tone.

"Princess Qing Bi, I am not here to pick you all up," Prince Feng shook his head slowly.

Princess Qing Bi was stunned. If not to greet her, then who else in Beiqing could have such clout that Brother Prince Feng would come in person to receive?

Feng Xun fell silent, his gaze had shifted elsewhere.

As they were speaking, a flurry of hoofbeats was heard.

Three fine horses were approaching. The leader was a top-quality Red Horse followed by a robust military horse, and the last was a small chestnut horse. Seated upon them were the tardily arriving Ye Lingyue, Lan Cai’er, and a lovely young girl. The young girl held in her arms a creature resembling neither a fox nor a dog.

"I’m so tired, starving, after being jostled about for so long, we finally reached Emperor City," Lan Cai’er stretched widely on horseback.

"Sister Cai’er, you’re still hungry? You’ve eaten the most Spirit Fruits and dry rations on the way, almost equal to several people’s share," Little Wuya quipped, and Little Zhiyo beside her also gave Lan Cai’er a contemptuous look.

"Hey, you two little ones, are you trying to rebel? I’m the oldest here, it’s normal for me to eat more," Lan Cai’er said unabashedly.

"We are nearing Emperor City now, we can have a good night’s sleep tonight," said Ye Lingyue who had become accustomed to the bickering between Lan Cai’er, Little Wuya, and Little Zhiyo along the way.

They were about to dismount and enter the city when suddenly everything went quiet around.

Looking around, all eyes were fixed on her.

Her face was still wrapped in gauze, which had been particularly conspicuous all the way, but being stared at by hundreds of eyes at once was unprecedented for her.

Puzzled, she suddenly saw someone approaching and stopping before her horse.

The sunlight was dazzling, and Ye Lingyue lowered her head to look, her vision blurred for a moment, unable to see the newcomer clearly.

It wasn’t until that familiar and gentle voice reached her that she suddenly realized, the person who had come to greet her was none other than Feng Xun.

Someone took hold of the horse’s reins, and a hand appeared in her view.

A slim and well-formed hand, unlike those of the typically frail, Feng Xun’s hand, though slender, was not weak, with slight calluses on the palm.

That hand just stayed there, as if it had been waiting for a thousand years.

The sunlight was harsh, and Ye Lingyue squinted, looking down from the horse, she saw a face smiling warmly in the spring breeze.

"You’re here."

Just these three simple words, yet they left Ye Lingyue stunned.

Unknowingly, she and Feng Xun had already been apart for several months.

The last time they parted was on the Xixia Plain.

At that time, Ye Lingyue and Feng Xun had just had a quarrel.

After that quarrel... Ye Lingyue recalled those nine hundred ninety-nine Fortune Cranes, all filled with the words "Feng Xun likes Ye Lingyue."

Her face suddenly blushed, and being gazed at by Feng Xun like this, Ye Lingyue didn’t know what to do for a moment.

She was not a delicate and precious young lady, nor was she a weak woman incapable of binding a chicken, but if she held Feng Xun’s hand now, it would seem too affectionate.

Yet if she didn’t... her hand warmed.

It was fingers interlocking, bones connected to muscles, skin touching skin.

Subconsciously, both their bodies trembled slightly, feeling the warmth of each other’s palms.

By the time Ye Lingyue realized it, Feng Xun was holding her hand, and his other hand was lightly supporting her waist.

His hand gently clasped hers; Feng Xun’s brows slightly furrowed, it had only been a few months, yet she had become thinner. He muttered in his heart that he needed to nourish her well.

Now firmly on the ground, beside them, Lan Cai’er and Little Wuya had smiles filled in their eyes, and they also dismounted their horses.

In the Daxia delegation, Hong Yuying’s face turned instantly pale.

Ye Lingyue, how could she appear here?

Wasn’t she supposed to be on the Xixia Plain? The one Prince Feng came to greet was clearly Ye Lingyue. Xiahou Qi also had mixed feelings, but the most surprised was Princess Qing Bi.

She suddenly remembered, Feng Xun had given his Huanyu to Ye Lingyue.

Under the public eye, Ye Lingyue felt awkward, she struggled a bit, and then withdrew her hand from Feng Xun’s. However, he just stood by with a smile, but when he saw the thick gauze on her face, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.

"Ling Yue, you all finally arrived. I was worried about you all the way. Since we’re at Emperor City, let’s stay at the Daxia inn together?" Xiahou Qi suppressed the discomfort in his heart and hurried forward.

"Ah, Sixth Prince, that’s not right. You’re representing Daxia, so it’s rightful to stay at the inn. Ling Yue and I are not members of the Daxia delegation, rashly staying with you might draw criticism. Some gossipers might even say we’re parasites of the nation, wasting food." Lan Cai’er was someone who held grudges, especially when she saw the Vice Director Chou leading the team.

These people, they stole Ye Lingyue’s credit, just seeing them made her feel nauseous, not to mention living together with them.

After Lan Cai’er said this, she glanced at the "prospective brother-in-law" Feng Xun and immediately switched to a brilliant smile.

"Prince Feng, I heard that the Beiqing Feng Residence is the richest in Beiqing, and Feng Residence is comfortable, clean, and spacious. Would you mind taking us in for a few days?"

"Eldest Miss Lan fancies Feng Residence, Feng Xun is very willing," Feng Xun happily agreed.

"Then it’s settled. Ling Yue, we’ll stay at Feng Residence for the time being. Don’t spoil my mood, your sister here has never lived in a manor in the capital of Beiqing." After Lan Cai’er finished speaking, she threw down the horse reins, hugged Little Wuya, and climbed into the comfortable carriage prepared by Feng Xun, ignoring the people from the Daxia delegation.

Seeing things had come to this, Ye Lingyue could no longer say much; she nodded to Xiahou Qi and then boarded the carriage herself.

"Sixth Prince and everyone, in a few days, Feng Xun will host another banquet for you. For today, this is farewell." Feng Xun made a bow, then boarded another carriage and headed to Feng Residence.

Leaving Princess Qing Bi and the others staring, dumbfounded.